Issues of homeland security are of paramount concern to most countries, yet several countries' domestic borders including the United States, remain vulnerable with respect to shipping containers that are being transported over international seas. The problem is widespread as the majority of the world's dry goods are imported by ships. When containers leave their ports of origin for a given destination, it is not uncommon for a ship to make several different stops at varied international ports and intermediate domestic ports before they reach their final destination.
If during the voyage, a container's seal has been breached while the ship is docked at a foreign port, and its contents have been stolen, removed, or replaced with weapons or explosives, it is very difficult to track intelligence information regarding who committed the act, where, when, and how such an event occurred. In fact Customs may not be aware that the container's contents have been substituted for example with explosives, which have disastrous results. Similarly, if the container was tampered with at its port of origin, or at an intermediate domestic port before landing at its final port of disembarkation, without tracking the activities of a container there is no way of knowing what happened. Thus, there needs to be a system and method for tracking and monitoring the contents of each container from the point of origin to its arrival at its final port of disembarkation.
The problem is further compounded by international bureaucracy and language barriers which will trump any extraordinary efforts to warn a foreign port of a suspicious container that may or may not appear to be compromised. Generally, foreign Customs are unconcerned with the integrity of containers that are being imported into another country beyond their borders. As a result there is little or no sharing of intelligence information among the different foreign ports that a container may have passed through. Thus, there is a need for a system and method for sharing intelligence information with different foreign countries regarding activities at sea for shipping containers in a seamless and efficient manner.
Problems also arise when the containers reach the first domestic port, as most domestic ports are ill equipped and understaffed to process the volume of containers that are being shipped in and out of the port. Generally, consumers are not interested in waiting for an extended period for imported dry goods and understandably, retailers are very concerned about losing their competitive edge. Thus, there is additional pressure on Customs agents from the importers to have their goods clear Customs quickly, so that the goods can be forwarded to the retailers and ultimately to the consumers as fast as possible. Not surprisingly, 90% of shipping containers and their respective contents are not inspected prior to clearing Customs. If weaponry or explosives were smuggled into the containers and managed to be shipped undetected, unless the container was among the 10% of inspected containers they could be cleared for import and the Customs or border patrol would be unaware of their existence. Thus, there exists a need for a system and method for processing each and every shipping container in an expedient, efficient manner.
There also exists a need for a system and method to be able to protect a country's national borders from the illegal importation of arms, weapons and explosives via shipping containers.
This invention satisfies those long felt needs and solves the foregoing problems that the prior art has been unable to solve in a new and novel manner.